Orlando Dinosaur Jr show review

[AGAP]

Couple pleasing pics at the site as well…

Orlandosentinel.com

Dinosaur Jr. amps up its hard-core hits

Dinosaur Jr. in concert (JIM CARCHIDI/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Jul 9, 2005

There wasn’t much light on the stage for Dinosaur Jr.’s performance Thursday at House of Blues, but the amplifiers were working fine.

The band’s distinctive blend of hard-core noise and accessible melodies, delivered by the original lineup of singer-guitarist J Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph, was a bone-rattling assault.

Although the band members mostly stayed in the shadows (it was impossible to make out Mascis’ facial features from the back of the room), a bright spotlight was often fixed on one of his several guitar amps.

That visual touch reflects the trio’s musical emphasis too. The heart of the band’s 80-minute set was powered by Mascis’ unhinged solos: fleet-fingered technique submissive to his sense of anarchy and sonic experimentation.

Songs such as the seminal "Repulsion," a track from the band’s 1985 Dinosaur debut unleashed early in the show, include lyrics, but the words always took a back seat to the instruments.

For most of the show, the singing was virtually unintelligible, melting like a snowflake in an inferno of noise.

For another band, that might have been a problem, but the heat generated by Mascis’ guitar is the essence of the band’s DNA. Titles such as "Tarpit" say it all: The shrieking, lurching spasms of sound were both primordial and evolutionary.

The Neil Young influence that heightens the hardcore approach was evident in "The Post," off 1988’s Bug. It built momentum with tantalizing patience, opening with pensive bursts that eventually were swept along with the driving rhythm section.

The band didn’t talk much, other than an occasional "thanks" that floated from the darkness, an understated gesture that contrasted with the massive wall of sound. That sound apparently was too much for the equipment at one point, when Mascis announced that "one amp’s down. Luckily, I’ve got a few more to go."

Even with one amp gone, it was still plenty loud.

By comparison, opening act Bloom was positively chatty. Lead singer Devin Moore came with the usual chip on his shoulder, ready to confront the small crowd of early arrivers, though the audience seemed more mild than belligerent.

Musically, the Orlando band was in fine form, charging through a 30-minute set anchored by "Don’t Tell a Dead Man How to Die" and material from its O Sinner album.

The band’s stage presence continues to become more assured, and songs such as "Only God Can Stop the Drum Machine Now" showcase a nice mix of invention and raw energy — even if Moore’s wiseguy routine sounded a bit tired.

Bloom was followed by Elf Power, the six-piece indie-rock outfit from Athens, Ga. The group’s lo-fi approach — jangly guitars augmented by drums, keyboard, accordion and clarinet — was a cool breeze before Dinosaur Jr. turned up the heat.

Jim Abbott

[rambleon]

bummer … can’t see the pics any more …

[Author]

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